Pearse Doherty (Donegal South West, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

This section deals with the lowering of the thresholds for capital acquisitions tax, which I welcome. The Minister of State has moved in the right direction. The alternative budget we submitted to the Department called for the lowering of them and increasing the rate which he has also done in section 82(1)(b) to 33%. In my amendment, which was ruled out of order, there was further scope to lower the thresholds for capital acquisitions tax. Deputy Mathews mentioned the pressure on people on a daily basis. We see in the markets arrears figures published today that there is an increase in the number of those who are in arrears - some 185,000 people are in mortgage distress. The number has spiralled out of control. I received a message in the past half an hour that there is an individual outside the gates of Leinster House-----